31.10.26

Arc Is Shutting Down Dec 22: Move Client Workspaces Now


Arc is shutting down on December 22, 2026, and after that the browser stops working on Mac and Windows. If you keep each client in their own Arc Space, you have until then to move everything, and it takes a few clicks if you do it before the deadline.

Here's the Arc browser shutting down timeline, the easiest way to move, and a plain backup plan if you'd rather not use Dia.

Arc Browser Shutting Down: The Dates

The Browser Company, the team behind Arc, announced the shutdown on October 22. Their own farewell page at arc.net lays out three dates.

October 22: nobody can create a new Arc account. Existing accounts keep working, and the latest version of Arc adds an option to export your data.

November 23: on iPhone and Android, Arc Search loses "Browse for Me" and its other AI features. It still works as a basic browser, but you can't sign in or sync tabs anymore.

December 22: Arc stops working on Mac and Windows, and Arc Search for Android is removed from the Google Play Store and from phones. Accounts are deactivated, and Arc says personal data is deleted within 30 days. From that date, Arc says it can no longer retrieve your data for you.


The Easy Move: Arc to Dia

Dia is the newer browser from the same team. It's free, and its AI features are optional. Arc's page says you don't need to export anything first if you're moving to Dia.

If you don't have Dia yet: download it from diabrowser.com, and when it asks which browser to import from, pick Arc. Arc says it brings over your passwords, history, tabs, Profiles, Folders, bookmarks and extensions, on both Mac and Windows.

If you already have Dia: on a Mac, go to Dia > Import from Another Browser in the menu bar. On Windows, open the Dia app menu and choose "Import from another browser."

A few names change on the way. Your Spaces become Profiles, and you can still swipe between them. Folders become Tab Groups. Pinned tabs and Favorites come over with their custom names. If you miss the vertical tabs, choose "Sidebar tabs" in Dia.

One setting to check before you open client work in Dia. Dia's FAQ says that unless you opt out in the Privacy Panel of Dia's settings, your content data is shared to improve Dia (not tied to your profile, and deleted after 30 days). If a client's contract is strict about data, turn that off first.

The Backup Plan: Save Your Tabs as Links

Maybe your client doesn't want a new browser, or you'd rather go back to Chrome. Arc lets you save your Spaces and tabs as a list of links.

On a Mac: open Arc > Settings, go to Advanced, then choose Export Data and save the file. On Windows: press Ctrl+comma to open Settings, find "Export Spaces and tabs" in the Advanced section, and choose Export Data.

Arc's page only covers exporting tabs this way. It doesn't give steps for moving saved passwords into another browser. So before you leave Arc, check that every client login also lives in a password manager, not only in the browser.

If you do land in Chrome, its help pages say Chrome imports bookmarks from an HTML file, and passwords only from a .csv file. Google also warns you to delete that .csv afterward, because anyone using the computer can open it.

What This Means for VAs

If you use Arc for client work, your Spaces might be the whole system: one Space per client, their tools pinned, their logins saved. Losing that in a rush would mean a messy week of password resets and "can you resend that link?"

Here's how I'd handle it. Pick a quiet afternoon this week. Import into Dia, then open each client's Profile and click through their pinned tabs to check you're still logged in. Write down anything that didn't come across. Then export your tabs from Arc anyway, as a backup file.

If you set up Arc for a client, send them a short heads-up with the December 22 date. That two-minute email can save them a lot of panic in December.

Moving browsers this week? Tell me which one you picked.

No comments:

AI news this week was mostly about your inbox, your calendar and your client's slide decks. Here are the updates from October 25 to 31 ...